Dysfunction and Melodrama

NO. MORE. WIRE. HANGERS.

A Who’s Who of Dysfunction and Melodrama

by                
Henry Kaye

Do you occasionally get the urge to beat your children with coat hangers? Do you sometimes brainwash your children into communist pawns? Is your last name Bluth? If so, you will thoroughly appreciate these films and their characters’ choices of family activities. So, sit your tied-up family down in front of one of these movies, and force them to enjoy the horrendous, tragic, and often hilarious world of dysfunctional families.

Dysfunction is the ultimate form of cinematic function, and family is the ultimate form of dysfunction. Movies like this are so ubiquitous because they’re easy to make, they’re inexpensive, they come with built-in conflict and plotline (just add movie star), and they’re topical. When something in this vein of cinematic cliché turns out well, it can be an artistically important film. The Royal Tenenbaums, Ordinary People, and Mommie Dearest are some that come to mind that have changed the landscape of film through their expert cinematography or classic abusive catchphrases. Family is the first real phase of reality that most of us go through, so when it is portrayed accurately, it can have a profound effect.

Right now, there are two new releases at Reckless that portray family flakiness—City Island, the story of a family that has to come to terms with the fact that they are all conning each other, and Parenthood, Season 1, a series loosely based on the classic Steve Martin movie of the same name.

But that’s not the only reason I’m writing about these movies. Let’s face it, that’s not even why people rent these movies. The reason these movies sell is because people need someone to look down on. They need to have that reassurance that yes, it can definitely get worse. Much, much worse. Like, by a lot. So let’s take a look at these denizens of domestic disturbance.

The Royal Tenenbaums (R for language, nudity, and drug references) - I can’t even figure out how to describe what this movie is about, but I still think that it’s fantastic. The characters, cinematography, structure, and every other single detail of this movie is brilliantly innovative. In short; it’s about a father (Gene Hackman) trying to make amends with his three estranged children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson). In the end, it’s a confusingly heartwarming affair. Wes Anderson brought about a new era in indie filmmaking with this movie, presenting the world as a fabled, anachronistic, random mess of a place within which one can’t help but see the sense.

Little Miss Sunshine (R for language, brief nudity, and drugs) - Little Miss Sunshine is the story of five hopelessly lost family members who come together against drug problems, muteness, suicide, and bankruptcy to get the young child in the family to a beauty pageant so that she may compete. Steve Carell gives the hands-down best performance of his career in this movie as the suicidal uncle who finds purpose in this task along with a stellar cast comprised of Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, and Paul Dano. Additionally backed up by an unbelievable soundtrack, this film is a road trip movie for the modern era, shedding light on the difficult struggle for innocence in an unwholesome world.

The Manchurian Candidate (PG-13 for violence) - This is not a light and fluffy movie. This is a very dark, weird, unsettling film that is probably one of the legendary political thrillers of our time. Set in the cold war, The Manchurian Candidate is the story of a young hotshot soldier who is hypnotized by communist agents to kill the president of the United States. Frank Sinatra gives a great performance as the soldier who must stop him from succeeding, and Angela Lansbury plays the mother who is responsible for the brainwashing of her son. The eerily crooked cinematography of this film wonderfully adds to the cold war paranoia that permeates the script. I won’t spoil the ending, but therapy is always a better option than family hypnosis.

Home Alone (PG) - This is one of those classics that every kid should see at least once. Macaulay Culkin is Kevin, an attention-deprived child in a massive family that seems to offer him no good will. On the morning of the family vacation to Paris, Kevin is forgotten amidst the commotion, and he is left at home alone on Christmas Day. Kevin first sees it as a blessing until two burglars attempt to rob the house, and Kevin is forced to defend it through the most ingenious means possible. Christopher Columbus’ cartoonishly violent spirit is at its peak of childish decadence in this effort. The film is filled with devilish traps and gags that will leave you with a great sense of admiration for Kevin. Rent this movie and wince the night away.

Mommie Dearest (PG) - The story of Joan Crawford and her attempts at parenting a young adopted child during the decline of her acting career brought about one of the more famous “bad mother” jokes of all time: “NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!” Based on the book by Christina Crawford, Mommie Dearest is by no means a light movie. Faye Dunaway is terrifying as the damaged, abusive, falling star Joan Crawford, largely due to the massive eyebrows that decorate her face, but the child abuse scenes might have helped too. Perhaps the most recognizable scene of the movie is when Joan goes into Christina’s room at night dressed all in black and wearing a white beauty mask, finds a dress on a wire hanger, wakes up the young Christina with a shout, and starts beating her with the hangers. OOF. If your son or daughter is talking trash about their home life, just sit ‘em in front of this and see what they think.

Ordinary People (R for language and really really sad stuff) - Mary Tyler Moore almost lost her status as America’s Sweetheart after portraying the cold, distant mother of a tormented child in Ordinary People. After a tragic boating accident that took the life of their firstborn son, the Jared family is thrown into turmoil. The father (Donald Sutherland) fails to understand how to deal with the family tragedy, the mother (Mary Tyler Moore) tries desperately to keep things looking normal, and the suicidal younger son (Timothy Hutton) is trying to come to terms with his guilt. Judd Hirsch gives a stellar performance as the psychologist who does his best to help this warped family. This film is a portrait of what happens when the people in a family outgrow one another, in the process of dealing with their own individual grief. What is left is less of a family portrait and more of a collection of individual snapshots.

Arrested Development (TV) - Yes, I know that this is a TV series, and I’m supposed to be recommending “movies,” but I can’t pass up an opportunity to promote what is arguably the best and most hilarious show ever broadcast. Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth, son of the shady Bluth Company CEO George Bluth (Jeffery Tambor). Michael is the only responsible (and employed) member of the family, which includes a magician, an alcoholic, a broke socialite, and a wannabe actor, and is the only one who refuses to siphon funds from the company. When George is arrested for embezzlement, the funds are frozen, and Michael is forced to keep the business and family together.The series only lasted three seasons, but that’s all it needed to change the face of modern television. Its trademark “documentary style” camera work and mile-a-minute wit inspired such shows as The Office, Parks and Recreation, and many more. Even though Ron Howard (aka Opie) is the narrator, this ain’t no Mayberry.

Reckless Reviews - Henry